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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. 80 S. ALEXANDER 82 B. PATERSONAPPARATUS FOR MAKING OIL GAS.

No. 419,098. Patented Jan. 7, 1890.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

T. 81; S. ALEXANDER &: R. PATERSON.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING OIL GAS.

No. 419,098. Patented Jan. 7, 1890.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ALEXANDER AND SAMUEL ALEXANDER, OF KIRKINTILLOOII, COUNTY OFDUMBARTON, AND ROBERT PATERSON, OF GLASGOlV,

COUNTY OF LANARK, SCOTLAND APPARATUS FOR MAKING OIL-GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 419,098, dated January'7, 1890.

Application filed June 21, 1888. Serial No. 277,710. (No model.)Patented in England March 14, 1885, No. 3,323.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAs ALEXANDER and SAMUEL ALEXANDER, residents ofKirkintilloch, county of Du mbarton, Scotland, and ROBERT PATERsoN, aresident of Glasgow, county of Lanark, Scotland, all subjects of theQueen of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented Improved Apparatus forMaking Oil-Gas, (for which we have obtained British Letters Patent,dated March 14, 1385, No. 3,323,) of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention has for its object, by improved, simple, andeasily-managed apparatus, to make gas of good quality from oil.

Our improved apparatus is specially designed for use at country housesor in connection with works or other buildings where gas is made on thepremises.

In carrying out our invention we employ one or more horizontal retortsof a cylindrical form arranged in a building with a tiregrate and finessuitable for heating the retorts with ordinary fuel. The oil to be 0011-verted into gas, and which is by preference purified petroleum ormineral oil, is led into each retort by two or more straight horizontalpipes placed near the inner surface of the re tort, by preference at theupper part, and eX- tending from the front end of the retort nearly tothe back end, the inner ends of thepipes being open. The oil is partlyconverted in passing along the horizontal pipes and issuing from theirinner ends. The vapor or gas is further acted on by the heat in passingfrom the back to the front end of the retort, at-which latter part theoutlet is situated.

Minor improved details, upon which the practical success of theapparatus largely depends, are hereinafter described.

'In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 1, are front andside elevations; and Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 2, are vertical sections as atright angles to each other.

In our improved apparatus two cylindrical iron retorts 5 are placed in abrick building 6, the back ends of the retorts being formed with studs7, by which they are supported in the back wall of the building. Thefront ends of the retorts project through the front wall of the building6, and each retortis fitted with two end covers 8 9, each upper cover 8being bolted to the retort in a comparatively permanent manner, whileeach lower half J is held in place by a common bridle andscrew 10, sothat it can be easily opened for cleaning out the retort. \Vithin thebuilding 6 the retorts 5 rest on a horizontal fire-clay slab 11, and thefire-place 12 is made at one side and communicates with an upperoven-space 13, in which the retorts are situated. The fire-gases passover the retorts 5 and have free access to their sides, and then passdownward at the side farther from the fire-place 12 and enter throughports into a flue ll, extending under one of the retorts. From the frontend of the flue 14 the fire-gases enter a flue 15 under the other retortand proceed along it to a chimney at the back, (but not shown.)

Through the top front cover 8 of each retort 5 two pipes 16 are fixed soas to extend along inside the retort, near its upper internal surface,to within a short distance of the innerend of the retort. These pipes 16have their inner ends open, and are supported near their inner ends by aring 17, placed inside of the retort, and which ring divides the retortinto oil or gas chambers. The pipes 16 are made quite straight tofacilitate the cleaning of them, and each is fitted with a screw-plug 18at its front end, which can be withdrawn to admit a cleaning-instrument.The oil is led into each pipe 16 at one side, near its outer end, by apipe 19, made with a siphonbend and provided with a funnel 20 at itsouter end. Each retort-pipe 16 is separately supplied with oil, theseveral funnels 20 bein g for convenience arranged in a horizontal rowbeneath separate stop-cocks 21 upon a main supply-pipe 22, fitted with amain stopcock and connected with an oil-tank, (which is not shown, butwhich should be placed at a level a little higher than the stop-cocks21.) The total supply of oil can be regulated by the main stop-cock 23,while the portion of the supply alloted to each retort-pipe 16 can beseparately regulated by the branch stopcocks 21. The gas formed in theretorts 5 passes off by ascensioirpipes 24, connected to their frontends at the tops, into a main 25, and thence by a pipe 26 into avertical pipe 27, whleh is provided with two stop-cocks 28 29, one aboveand the other below the junction of the pipe 26. The upper stop-cock 28,when open, communicates directly with the atmosphere, and the lower one29 communicates with an ordinary assemblage of pipes 30, known as anair-condenser, (the set of these plpes 30 being supposed to be seen inedge v1ew in Fig. l and to be extending backward.) Abranch pipe 31(shown in Fig. 1) is at the back end of the condenser, and is for theattachment of a pipe leading to a gasholder of any convenient kind. Theleverhandles of the two stop-cocks 28 29am connected bya rod 33 in suchway that the ac-. tion opening one closes the other. WVhen freshlystarting to make gas, the upper stopcock 28 may be opened to allowthegas-or vapor first formed, and which is mixed with air, toescape tothe atmosphere, instead of mixing with any good gas there maybe in thecondenser and gas-holder. The gas-holder drum is counterbalanced byweights made sufficlently heavy to raise it and produce a partial vacuuminside of it for the purpose of drawing the. gas from the retorts andthrough the condenser and piping; This arrangement makes it necessary toprovide the two. connected stop-cocks 28 29, hereinbefore described, andthe closing of the lower one 29' when the upper one 28 is open preventsair from being drawn in bythe action of the partial vacuum.

Our improved apparatus, as hereinbeforedescribed, is such as to allow ofthe action being easily and satisfactorily regulated and controlled,without which good gas cannot be I formed economically and the apparatuscannot be keptin good order. WVith a suitable regular heat in'the ovenor flue space 13, it is essential for good working that neither more norless'than the proper supply of oil should be maintained. By opening thestop-cock 28 and allowing gas to issue from it its color will afiord ameans of judging whether the action is going on properly, and theattendant can adjust the supplies of oil or the heat from the furnaceaccordingly.

1 What we claim as our invention is- 1. The combination, with afurnaeehaving a fire-space located to one side thereof and retorts in saidfurnace located wholly to one side of the fire-space, of fines beneaththe retorts communicating with each other and the retort-chamber,whereby a single continuous circuit for heat and products of combustionis produced and all parts of the ,retorts heated, substantially as setforth.

2. A retort provided with an interior ringplate having a central openingdividing the retort into communicating oil and gas chambers, an oil-pipeleading through both chambers and in open communication with theOllchamber independent of the central openingof the ring-plate, and agas-outlet pipe leading from the gas-chamber, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with a furnace-chamber, of a retort located therein,a ring-plate having a central opening located within said retort anddividing the latter into communicating oil and gas chambers, a straightpipe leading into the oil-chamber independent of the central opening inthe ring-plate, ascrewplug closing the outer'end of said straight pipe,and a siphon oil-supply connected to said straight pipe, substantiallyas set forth. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to thisspecification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' THOMAS ALEXANDER.- SAMUEL ALEXANDER. ROBERT PATERSON.

\Vitnesses:

EDMUND HUNT, JAMES DONALD.

